Shaikh Farid Bukhari (died 1616), also known by the title Murtaza Khan, was a leading Mughal noble during the reign of the

Mughal emperors The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

and

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

. He served as governor of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and later of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. He was also well known as an architectural patron in Mughal India, and founded the city of

Faridabad Faridabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite cities around Delhi and is located 284 kilometres south of the state capital Chandigarh. The ri ...

in modern-day

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...

, India.

Background

Shaikh Farid Murtaza Khan was an Indian Muslim. His ancestors were likely learned men who had been given rent-free lands for their subsistence. One of them, Sayyid Abdul Ghaffar of Dehli, enjoined his descendants to adopt military profession instead of living on charity. Sheikh Farid's family had a long history of imperial service, such as his uncle Sheikh Muhammad Bukhari, who was one of Akbar's trusted men, and his brother Jafar Khan, who died fighting in Gujarat in 1573.

Career

Shaikh Farid was promoted to the command of 1500 horses by Akbar, for his achievements fighting against

Afghans Afghans ( ps, افغانان, translit=afghanan; Persian/ prs, افغان ها, translit=afghānhā; Persian: افغانستانی, romanized: ''Afghanistani'') or Afghan people are nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, or people with ancestry f ...

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...

. Akbar also bestowed upon him the title ''sahib-us-saif-w-al-qalam'' ('master of the sword and the pen'). In 1600, he rose to the post of ''mir bakhshi'' under Akbar. In the Mughal court there was a movement of Naqshbandis who had been trying to garner power in the hopes of supplanting the religiously erratic Akbar with a more stable and orthodoxly Muslim emperor. Du Jarric among the Jesuits at court described that Shaykh Farid had been sent as a representative of the orthodox faction to promise support of Prince Salim (future Mughal Emperor Jahangir), "provided that he would swear to defend the law of Mahomet". Shaykh Farid had been receiving letters from

Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi Aḥmad al-Fārūqī as-Sirhindī (1564-1624) was a South Asian Islamic scholar from Punjab, Hanafi jurist, and member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order. He has been described by some followers as a Mujaddid, meaning a “reviver", for his work i ...

, and was his devoted disciple. After Jahangir's coronation, prince Khusrau rebelled in 1606 and fled

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...

, where he had been confined, towards the

. Shaikh Farid pursued and defeated him at a battle near Bharowal. After Khusrau was later captured, Jahangir awarded Shaikh Farid the title 'Murtaza Khan' for his actions, and his rank was increased to 6000 horses. Jahangir also awarded him the site of the battle, Bharowal, as a land grant. From 1606 to 1609, Shaikh Farid served as the governor of Gujarat under Jahangir. He later became the governor of Punjab. During this time, Jahangir gave him the infamous order of executing

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

leader

Guru Arjan Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of th ...

Architecture

Shaikh Farid was noted for his building activities in Mughal texts. A major undertaking was the establishment of

in 1607, to which he provided a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

and mosque. As governor of Gujarat, he constructed extensively in the city of

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

; however none of these structures remain, with the exception of

Wajihuddin's Tomb Wajihuddin's Tomb or Hazrat Wajihuddin Dargah, is a tomb of Sufi saint Wajihuddin Alvi in Khanpur area of Ahmedabad, India. History and architecture Wajihuddin Alvi was an Islamic scholar and Sufi of Shattari tradition. Born in Champaner, h ...

, the

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

of Sufi saint

Wajihuddin Alvi Shah Wajihuddin Alvi Gujarati ( fa, ), also known the epithet Haider Ali Saani ( fa, ), was an Islamic scholar and Sufi in the Shattari tradition. Life Shah Wajihudeen Alvi Hussaini Shattari (Haider Ali Saani) 'Ali the second' was born in Cham ...

. He also contributed several religious structures to the city of

Bihar Sharif Bihar Sharif is the headquarters of Nalanda district and the fifth-largest sub-metropolitan area in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Its name is a combination of two words: ''Bihar'', derived from '' vihara'' (meaning monastery), also the nam ...

, and made additions to the

Nizamuddin Dargah Nizamuddin Dargah is the dargah (mausoleum) of the Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya (1238–1325 CE). Situated in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi, the dargah is visited by thousands of pilgrims every week. The site is also known for its e ...

in Delhi.

Tomb

Shaikh Farid's tomb is located in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, near a

constructed by him named Serai Shahji.

References

{{Reflist Mughal nobility Subahdars of Gujarat 1616 deaths 16th-century Indian Muslims 16th-century Indian politicians 17th-century Indian politicians Mughal Subahdars Subahdars of Lahore Faridabad Faridabad district